Author's Note
This is just a one shot that I came up with after seeing the episode Top Bolt, and just happened to see a foal Lightning Dust playing in a sandbox during Sky Stinger's flashback sequence, which could allow one to take away that he's one of her older siblings, and that the idea to get into the Wonderbolts could of come from her as well as be a foal hood dream of his. Just something that got me thinking. Will we ever see her again? Both her and Dash's egos remind me sometimes of Vegeta from DBZ O_O.
Hey SIS!
Sky Stinger had just gotten home from the Academy when his younger sister surprised him out of nowhere. She could tell he was excited about something, and within moments the mint green pegasus found out why. Her brother Sky blurted out that he got accepted into the Wonderbolts Academy, as did his wing pony and fillyhood friend Vapor Trail. Lightning smiled nervously and faked congratulating for accomplishing a goal as noble and rewarding as that.
Lightning and Sky had inherited the cloud house their parents used to live in after they decided it was time to move on. Their other three siblings had all moved out when they had turned legal age, as was expected of them to do so according to house rules, leaving the house to the two of them in the end.
"Hey Dust,", Sky asked her, he could tell she was hiding something, but she wouldn't tell him what it was exactly. Little did he know she had reasons to hide it from him. Especially when it came to the name Rainbow Dash. Sky Stinger was unaware of the history between Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash, or the fact that she hid her expulsion from the Academy from him at first. She didn't say why exactly, just that she didn't agree with the way it was handled, or the way Spitfire decided to hide behind the rules (When it was obviously a lie to get her brother to stop bringing it up).
What crawled up her flank, he asked himself. Why was his youngest sibling trying to deflect the enthusiasm he was expressing right now. it was coming to attract the wrong attention as he wanted to stop, Before he could open his mouth, however, she turned to him, and despite holding back a bit of rage, hugged him and truly congratulated him for accomplishing what she couldn't. She turned back to the front door before telling him she was going out for a bit.
"I'm going out for a mid-morning fly, I might be gone for an hour or so, gotta catch up an acquaintance,", and with that Dust flew off in an all too familiar direction, a direction her brother had no idea she knew of. Right towards Princess Twilight's Castle of Friendship. There was somepony she had to have a talk with. A pony that she could have been friends with if she hadn't been so reckless back then. She knew this now. It was instilled in her memory the day she was booted from the Academy. She had been grilled by Spitfire in her office after having the lead flight badge ripped off her training uniform.
The flashback was vivid. And Painful when she really thought about it.
" Rainbow Dash was right, leadership shouldn't come at the cost of our fellow ponies, and you were, by all means, reckless out there. Now Get out.", As the door slammed shut, her mind drifted back to the present.
She had held a grudge against Dash for the longest after that, but it slowly sank in that it was her fault for what had happened. It was still so vivid, even all these years later. Trying to out pace the other cadets, sending them flying into clouds, expecting a hoof bump from Dash despite the fact her friends had nearly been killed or injured because of Lightning's actions that day. It had ended up being one of those memories that haunts a pony no matter what, at least until it was rectified.
How in Celestia's name was she going to convince Rainbow to even talk to her after what had transpired back then. Would she even remember her at all. She decided to fly up and land on the balcony to stop and catch her breath. And right as she did, Twilight was coming out to the balcony for her mid day tea break. She nearly dropped the cup of tea from her magic aura when she saw who was in front of her.
"Hi,"Dust spoke rather awkwardly to the Princess of Friendship.
"Uh, Hi," She responded,"Lightning Dust isn't it?", at least Twilight remembered her name. That was a small start.
"Yeah, I'm kind of looking for Rainbow," As she spoke, Twilight gave her a look over and then concluded apparently there was no ill intended as she finished speaking.
" She's in the Castle, but to be honest I dont know how she'll feel about seeing you after all this time,", Twilight said this as she took a sip of tea and sat down on one of the lounge chairs that adorned the side of the balcony wall. It was the same spot where she and her friends had all gone to 'chillax' after that mishap with Starlight's friendship lessons the week before. Almost as if on cue, Dash came to the door to tell Twilight something funny that Pinkie was doing, when her attention turned up to who was standing in front of her.
Lightning felt a chill run down her spine from the look Dash was giving her, her magenta eyes were like to gems drilling themselves into Lightning Dust's skull.
"What the hell are you doing here !?", Dash was on the verge of tackling her assumed rival to the ground, that was until Lightning spoke up.
"I just came to thank you for not going easy on my brother,", She began to let out, almost certain that might cut the tension that was existing between the two of them right now.
"Brother?", Twilight asked, curiosity getting the better of her, as Rainbow just decided to back off and give her former rival some breathing room for now.
"Sky Stinger," Dust answered shortly, to shock and surprise of both Rainbow and Twilight.
"Your joking right?", As soon as she said that, she knew she crossed some invisible line just uttering that. She could also tell that Lightning looked ready to return the favor of knocking Dash's teeth in, the act she was going to do to her just a moment ago.
"No, I'm not joking, you never had to raise him after our parents and other siblings either passed on or moved away from home. The runt even got the idea to apply for the Wonderbolts from the short time i was in the Academy. I never told him fully why I had been kicked out, just that it was a difference of opinion between me and two other pegasi,", Rainbow could tell she wasn't finished," One of whom had every right to do what she did that led to my suspension, and it's not something I found easy to admit to at first,", Dust nearly choked on those words as she felt not only her eyes starting to tear up, but a cyan hoof wrapping itself around her shoulders. After all, this was why she had gotten up the nerve to fly here, without explaining it to her brother.
Rainbow let go of her rival, and looked her in the eyes," You know I've had to learn a few things too since that day," Dust could easily tell that RD wasn't flat out lying to her," I've had to have my ego bruised a bit to learn what's really important in life."
Lightning could only smile softly as Rainbow cracked that sly grin that she had worn back at the Academy. Right as the two of them launched themselves from the Castle balcony to settle it once and for all.
Besides, what was a little rivalry among two pegasi now turned friends. As they tried to outdo the other, Twilight could only smile and think to herself what a wise old wolf she knew had once told her.
It's good to be helping.